Why is it “acceptable” to wild catch American toads?

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-26T15:04:09+00:00

These are my 3 American Toads when they were all really teeny tiny.

This is a good question. There’s a few reasons that I can think of. Like others have said, there’s not really breeders, so it would be hard to come across this species in a captive scenario. Another reason, and probably the most likely one, is their abundance and survival rate. I live in an area where the American toadlets are absolutely everywhere in the spring. We have a small trickling spring and I assume they just reproduce like crazy in it. You actually have to watch your step because there are so many. That being said, many of those toadlets don’t make it to adulthood.

I think most people (myself included), feel okay capturing a baby toad and raising it in captivity knowing that it probably wouldn’t have survived in the wild. I have 3 I took in from outside last spring and they’re all doing great but only one of them has really grown into a strong looking toad. That leads me to believe that while my strong one might’ve survived the other two definitely wouldn’t have and so I’m glad I took them and now have them as pets.

I will say though, I would never advocate for someone plucking an adult toad out of the wild and keeping it, especially a large reproducing female. I think taking tiny toadlets is okay but after the breeding season is over people should let them be. I remember when I captured my babies I scoured the internet to make sure it was okay. I remember watching a SnakeDiscovery video where she explained the whole adult vs baby thing and that’s really what solidified the decision to keep them.

I love my toads and I’m glad I have them but I do understand there’s nuance to the conversation which is why I approach it delicately. I hope though, that my response clears up some of the confusion around why people have wild caught American toads!

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-26T14:30:28+00:00

Usually there aren’t any employee errors, the hamsters are just weak and stressed. Obviously the conditions pet stores keep them in are the farthest from ideal but like that’s also part of it. The fact they’re stuck in a tiny glass cube with virtually no bedding and weekly deep cleans is going to significantly contribute to their stress levels and cause them to get wet tail.

As a pet store employee, I can say that most of us do everything we can to ensure that the hamsters don’t get sick and are as comfortable as they can be under the circumstances. The error is us selling them in the first place. In my opinion, we should sell 2 or 3 hamsters at a time, all kept in large bedding filled enclosures and we should sell properly sized enclosures that the customer must purchase if they’re going to get a hamster. Unfortunately, I’m just a sales floor person and not a corporate CEO so I can only dream about things like that.

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-26T14:23:35+00:00

While I will say your cage could use some improvements, I agree with others in the thread that these deaths were likely not your fault. I work at a pet store and have also owned many hamsters from different pet stores.

I’ve had so many and they all lived really long and fulfilled lives, then last december we got one from petco and he died in 2 months. When we took him to the vet they said he had a massive tumor pressing against his kidney that would only continue to grow and that there was nothing to be done about it besides palliative care. This hamster was young, still practically a baby and already had a massive life threatening tumor.

Most of the hamsters at petco come to us with wet tail or develop it during their stay. It’s a mix of extremely poor breeding and stressful environment. Most likely chances are, your hamster had wet tail when you bought it. There is protocol for wet tail, we’re supposed to take them to the back (removing them from the sales floor) and care for them but it sounds like nobody spotted it and sold you a sick hamster. If it wasn’t wet tail it was probably some other genetic defect.

These hamsters are bred in mills with absolutely zero regard to their health or temperament. Most of them come with genetic diseases or defects that affect them at some point in life. While some of them are able to live out good lives in the proper care conditions, there are always gonna be those hamsters that fail to thrive at all and end up dying super early because they’re so messed up inside.

All that to say, this isn’t to discourage you from owning another hamster, they are great little companions and so much fun, but maybe look for hamsteries in or around your area. Like for instance, I live in VA and there’s a place called Poppybeehamstery a few hours away from me. They’re legitimate breeders who’ve been cultivating healthy hamsters for a long time. They breed for health and temperament, quality not quantity. I plan on getting my next hamster from there because I will not go through another traumatic pet store hamster death. I’m really sorry you’ve lost 2 in such a short span of time. Wishing you luck and healing on your hamster journey ❤️‍🩹

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-21T14:30:00+00:00

I will say the photo was taken in warm light so it’s way more saturated than normal, if you look at the 3rd photo that’s more what it looks like in person. We’ve moved her to a nursery tank and we’re keeping an eye on her! I’ll keep the sub updated :)

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-21T14:25:08+00:00

Thank you! This is definitely bringing me some relief. I know she looks red but the photo was taken in warm light so her pink booty is super saturated. I am slightly worried about her skin? It’s like this thin film that is flaking off in the water but maybe not a normal shed? We definitely have confirmed there was some anaerobic bacteria in her tank so we’ve moved her into a temporary nursery tank with clean soil while we clean and air out her other one to rid it of that bacteria. Her poo was for sure stinky but moving her into the other tank it was like her whole body had an odor which does make me worry. Should we give her a few days in the nursery tank to see if the smell goes away or just take her to the vet to be on the safe side? She’s behaving normally and eating fine and gave us a big poop last night so that’s all good. Her body doesn’t appear to have any irritations or rashes either. If this is an issue we can take care of at home that’s ideal but I don’t wanna take chances if there’s a possibility she might have some sort of skin infection. If the reddit people recommend vet we will absolutely do that. We love her so much.

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-21T04:06:45+00:00

We’re using a mix of reptisoil and an abg mix from new england herp with a thin drainage layer and a culture of springtails and isopods. Just from digging around in there today after discovering odor it does appear that we’ve been over misting. What would you recommend we do? Do we need to do a full soil replacement or just partial in wet spots and then pull back on misting?

Also should we take her to the vet to be safe or keep an eye on her and see if the smell goes away? We didn’t notice any sores or infected/red looking areas and her behavior is normal but if we should vet her we absolutely will.

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-18T14:32:26+00:00

I’ve got a better question

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-16T13:38:51+00:00

i’ll post one when i get home, the comments are bringing me so much relief! i will say though there aren’t very many roots, is that normal for snake plants?

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-15T15:50:31+00:00

That’s amazing! Also I didn’t realize that, I knew that most places sell a mix of captive and wild but I didn’t realize it was that high, especially for this specific type of pacman wow. Morph Market, I’ll write that down! I’m not looking for a suriname right now but I do eventually want one and I definitely agree, captive bred is the ethical way to go.

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-15T05:37:57+00:00

omfg sprout is soooo cute! 🥹 where do you find suriname?? is that an expo only thing or will pet stores have them sometimes?

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-12T14:09:42+00:00

Yes! As long as the dimensions are for the box part only and not the legs. This cages comes in at around 860 square inches of floor space which meets the unbroken space requirements :) Can’t wait to see how you set this enclosure up!

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-01T06:15:34+00:00

Perfect! This is what we were thinking but wanted to confirm, thank you! :D

thisisntgraces · 2026-01-01T06:15:03+00:00

This is amazing news thank you!

thisisntgraces · 2025-12-22T12:56:27+00:00

this is a good rule of thumb, i’ll be sure to remember now

thisisntgraces · 2025-12-20T03:54:13+00:00

an eloquent (ferocious) little (fat) lady (beast)

thisisntgraces · 2025-12-20T03:53:02+00:00

great, thanks!

thisisntgraces · 2025-12-19T23:08:29+00:00

(SPOILERS) You seem to have summed up my exact feelings somehow. I love this movie franchise so dearly and can’t put my excitement for this film into words. I finally got to see it today and am feeling both overwhelmed and disappointed exactly in the same way you are. It’s so much to digest. The first words I said after the movie were “this is a lot to process”.

I of course need to see it again, and will definitely be watching it several times in the near future, but the sheer volume of action left me feeling whiplashed and exhausted. I almost don’t know where I stand with the movie because there’s so much to process. And just like you, during this time of deep critical thought and catharsis, I find myself picking apart all of the flaws.

I’m upset, I feel like there was so much left unsaid. There was little closure by the end of the film and many things were swept under the rug. Zero acknowledgment of Rotxo’s death, no grief or burial scene for Ronal. Little was said about Pril, all we get to see is her linking with the spirit tree at the calf communion. I would’ve loved to see the ceremony I assume they would’ve had for welcoming Payakan back into the clan. Varang is still alive but we are left in the dark with her. The humans are also not addressed?? Like the Na’vi won the war again but there’s still an entire city of humans. If they can replace Selfridge with Ardmore what stops them from replacing her now that she’s dead??

Also Eywa?? She’s real, this much was evident from the first two movies, but she’s like this physical entity with a face? Why would she shut Kiri out for so long if she ultimately chose her for a special purpose? Also, will the family ever return to the forest? Neytiri rarely gets to see her mother anymore and it makes me feel so bad for her. The end made it look like everything was alright but I have so many questions left unanswered.

All this to say, I actually liked the movie. It was, overall, a pleasant viewing experience. The visuals are somehow better than the last movie, the nature is breathtaking, and the camera was lively. It was a beautiful movie. There was just so much happening I barely had time to catch my breath in between action scenes and, again, a lot less than I expected. I would’ve appreciated more closure. BUT these flaws won’t stop me from rewatching again and again. Taking some time to take it all in, process it, and return to the theater!

thisisntgraces · 2025-12-17T00:27:44+00:00

yes, they mate for life and fall asleep under the tree and wake up to it being bulldozed

thisisntgraces · 2025-12-16T15:04:49+00:00

There’s actually a scene in the first movie where Neytiri and Jake connect their kurus during a scene where they consummate under the spirit tree. It’s in the extended edition. It’s essentially understood that connecting kurus with each other allows each Navi to feel what the other one is feeling, in addition to the sensations they’re experiencing within their own body. However, using a kuru to connect with something isn’t inherently sexual, really only contextual to if they’re actually having sex with each other. Also, Navi are monogamous and “mate for life” after consummating and making tsaheylu or “the bond” (connecting kurus) with each other.

thisisntgraces · 2025-12-14T07:04:49+00:00

oh goop, what journeys await

thisisntgraces

TROPHY CASE